Sultan Jehan Begum Passes away
Sultan Jehan Begum, widow of Masood Husain, Chief Accounts Officer, Pakistan Railways, was born on December 4, 1931 in Rampur, UP, India. Her parents were of Yusuf Zai Pathan origin. Her great grandfather, Nazir Khan, migrated from Afghanistan to Rampur to join the army of the Nawab of Rampur.
On September 2, 1948, she married Masood Husain; his father was from Muradabad and his mother from Rampur. He received his BA, MA English and LLB degrees from the Aligarh Musllim University in India. Shortly after their marriage the couple moved to Pakistan together with other relatives. In 1950, after Masood Husain passed the Civil Services of Pakistan (CSP) examination, he was selected to join the Pakistan Railways as an employee of the Government of Pakistan. He was first posted in Chittagong, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), followed by later postings in Karachi and Lahore.
Sultan J. Begum and Masood Husain had eight children: five boys and three girls. In July 1969 at the young age of 37, Sultan J. Begum was widowed after her 42-year-old husband suddenly died from a brain hemorrhage during a visit to Rawalpindi. His untimely death left her with the daunting task of raising eight children without a father.
Masood Husain’s career with the Government of Pakistan provided for a relatively comfortable standard of living for himself and his family, however, after his death it was suddenly reduced to only a very modest standard with the only income coming from the Provident Fund. Lacking any other benefits or financial resources, Sultan J. Begum had to weigh her options of spending the reduced income very carefully. Despite the advice of relatives to invest the money in a house for the family, she chose to spend the Provident Fund on the education of her children. She had personally experienced the importance of good education in career making - her husband’s success was a glowing example - and she decided to send her eldest son, 19-year-old Itrat Masood who was taking his FSc final exams from F. C. College in Lahore on the day of his father’s burial, to London for further studies while she moved into a small apartment with the other children.
As a woman with a modest education she had a strong vision for her children and acted upon it. Her eldest son proved to be very successful in his studies and became the owner of a prosperous accountancy firm in London which allowed him to support the family in Pakistan during the difficult times. He was able to finance the studies of his brothers and sisters in the UK and the US. His dedication and personal sacrifices contributed to the success of his sibllings and strengthened strong family ties that Sultan J. Begum was keen to foster from very early on.
Sultan J. Begum was a very pious woman who prayed five times a day. She fasted during Ramadan until her late age. She performed Hajj and never imposed her religion on her children or others. Instead, as a role model, she instilled important values in her children.
Sultan J. Begum was both a mother and a father to her children for most of their lives. She was known to many people as a lady with warmth, wisdom, sophistication and class, who was generous to others and accosted them with a big smile on her face, even at times when she had very little herself.
It was with deep pain in our hearts that we bid farewell to our dear Mother, Mother-in-Law, Grandmother and Great Grandmother, Sultan J. Begum who passed away between Ramadan and Eid ul Fitr on June 25, 2017 at 1:30 am near Boston, MA, USA. She was surrounded by her children, their spouses and grand- and great grandchildren. Her funeral was held at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center and she was buried in the Islamic cemetery at the Garden of Mercy, W. Roxbury.
Itrat Masood - Vancouver, Canada
Khusro Masood - Toronto, Canada
Aslam Masood - Houston, Texas
Munir Masood – Vancouver, Canada
Shagufta Masood - Toronto, Canada
Naila Masood - Watertown, Connecticut
Dr Sohail Masood – Lincoln, Massachusetts
Rana Masood – Farmington Hills, Michigan
Spouses, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren
Pakistan Link shares the family’s grief as do members of the community. May her soul rest in peace and God grant the bereaved family courage and fortitude to bear the loss.
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